My stomach turned. “Right,” I agreed. “I’ll keep this between us, but I’ll tell Dad that Ashlyn is taking time off from school to stay here with me.”
My father wouldn’t think it odd that my girlfriend was staying with me at Marco’s house. I’d spent enough time here in my life that it wasn’t at all out of the ordinary.
“I’ll see you later tonight. Take care of her while I’m gone.”
“I won’t keep the pretty princess locked up alone in her tower, don’t worry.”
I rolled my eyes at him. I was getting tired of the fairytale jibes.
“I’ll make dinner for her,” he amended when he could tell I wasn’t amused. “And I promise I won’t scare her again.”
“Thank you.” Marco really was good to me, even better than a brother. I knew he’d keep Ashlyn safe and as happy as possible in my absence.
My gut tightened with anxiety when I stepped into the back room at Pisolino—my family’s restaurant in Manhattan. I’d come to see my father, but Gabriel Costa’s deep brown eyes fixed on me, his mouth curving in a cold smile that tugged at the deep scar on his upper lip.
Apparently, even enemies could come together over bucatini all’Amatriciana.
The room was thick with tension. Marco’s father, Leo De Luca, sat to Dad’s right, as always. And Gabriel, the upstart capo who dared to challenge my father, sat at the opposite end of the table.
Dad had been named by Victor Lombardi as his chosen successor, but Gabriel wanted to be the boss, once the old man passed.
“Joseph.” My father’s voice lacked the usual warmth he showed me. “Come sit with us. We’ll get you a plate.”
I tried to remain as nonchalant as possible when I sat to Dad’s left. I might not like my violent lifestyle, but the threat to my father rankled. Despite everything, I loved him, and I would die before I let Gabriel Costa hurt him.
“It’s always good to see your son, Dominic,” Gabriel said to my father. “Family is so important.” His dark eyes fixed on me. “It was a shock when you disappeared, Joseph. We were all worried about you.”
My father had almost sent men to kill Gabriel while I was hiding out in Cambridge. He’d suspected that his rival had murdered me, and he’d been ready to go to war by the time Marco dragged me back to New York.
“Yes, I’m very happy to have Joseph back where he belongs,” Dad said coolly.
Shit. What I had to say wasn’t going to go over well with him, but it was actually good that Gabriel was here to hear it. If his people had been thinking about hurting Ashlyn to get to me, I wanted him to know that I had her safely tucked away at Marco’s estate, out of their reach.
“Yes, I’m glad to be back.” I turned my gaze on my father, but I spoke for Gabriel’s benefit. “I don’t think I told you about the girl I met in Cambridge, Dad. Her name is Ashlyn. We missed each other, and I was so worried about her being alone and sad at Harvard.” I emphasized worried. Dad would get what I was saying. “She’s decided to take some time off school to be with me, so she’ll be staying at Marco’s place for a while. I hope you don’t mind if I stay there instead of at home.”
I was essentially telling him I wouldn’t be in the city to help him with his business for a while, but Dad was sharp enough that he picked up on the veiled significance of my words. Even if I wasn’t telling him outright that Ashlyn had been under threat, he could appreciate my caution in bringing her to the safety of the De Luca estate.
“That’s great, son,” he said with a bland smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I hope I can meet her soon.”
“I’d like that,” I lied. I didn’t want Ashlyn anywhere near my mafia family, even my blood relatives.
I’d keep her safely guarded on the estate, with Marco and me. No one would be able to touch her while she was under our protection, especially not Gabriel Costa.
Chapter Sixteen
Marco
I snuck into my bedroom to retrieve the notepad with Ashlyn’s messages. She’d fallen asleep, no doubt exhausted by everything we’d hit her with in the last few hours. Her tears had dried, but I’d waited a long time after her sobbing stopped before I entered the room. I’d been telling Joseph the truth: I didn’t like seeing her cry. I might be a monster, but I never hurt women.
Well, I might enjoy delivering a sound spanking when it was warranted, but that would be completely inappropriate. Even if Ashlyn was beautiful enough and bratty enough to make my palm itch to connect with her round ass.